Donis: “This is a huge win”

Following the pulsating win against AEK in the Super League, Panathinaikos boss Giorgos Donis expressed his pride in his team, while Nikos Kostenoglou was puzzled by the result.

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Panathinaikos completed one of the most memorable comebacks in recent Super League history. After scoring twice in the first half through Michalis Bakakis and Nelson Oliveira, AEK were within touching distance of their first derby victory since April 2018, but Federico Macheda, Juan Jose Perea and Dimitris Kolovetsios all scored in the latter stages to snatch an unlikely win for Panathinaikos.

‘This is a huge win,” beamed Donis. “When we were trailing 0-2, the belief of the players and the behaviour of the supporters were crucial. We conceded two cheap goals to AEK. In the second half, AEK had a great chance to make it 3-0 in their favour, but we must note the brilliant performance of Sokratis Dioudis. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the league.”

“As time progressed, our players began to believe more,” continued the Panathinaikos manager. “We gave joy to the fans who came to the stadium to support us. This season, we have performed very well in the big games against AEK, Olympiacos and PAOK; the only exception was the match with Aris. Following the match against Olympiacos, I feel that we played our best football against Xanthi and Larissa, but we weren’t effective with our opportunities.”

AEK boss Nikos Kostenoglou struggled to understand how the Enosi ended up losing: “This is an incredible result, because we had full control of the game,” revealed Kostenoglou. “We should have made it 3-0 or 4-0. In the end, this has turned out to be a big lesson for us. When we conceded the second goal, there was always a risk that we could lose; psychology plays a big part in football. However, we did have the one chance to win it with Giorgos Giakoumakis.”

“Those who are mentally strong win games,” said the AEK head coach when asked about the reasons behind the defeat. “We lost the balance of the game completely. Is our season over? No, there is a long way to go. Of course, when you are 2-0 up and you have chances to score more, you should not them concede three goals. Ognjen Vranjes? It was the decision of the administration to punish him, he didn’t follow our rules. We did not finish this match as a contest when we had the opening.”

Juan Jose Perea, who grabbed his maiden Panathinaikos goal, noted that the hosts never gave up: “We actually started quite well, but the opponents scored two goals with their only two opportunities. I would like to thank God and my family for this goal, I immediately felt that I was onside. It’s great to play with the presence of our fans inside the arena. I always play with a lot of passion and desire.”

“I am embarrassed,” remarked AEK midfielder Andre Simoes. “I can’t imagine what AEK fans felt watching that game. We ruined the match for ourselves. At the half-time break, we believed that we were going to win, but we must stop having fear in derbies. We understand that the fans are very disappointed, this is a natural emotion after a game like this.”

“All I can say is sorry to the supporters,” stated Petros Mantalos when speaking to the media. “I still cannot believe what happened. We lost this game ourselves, our selfishness prevented us from making it 3-0 in our favour. I say this with all due respect to Panathinaikos, but we gave a dead person life.”

Former AEK defender Dimitris Kolovetsios, scorer of the winner, also spoke to the press: “I was an AEK player for three years, so I was not going to celebrate that goal. I wish AEK all the best. Yes, we were down by two goals, but you cannot give up when you play for Panathinaikos. This is a very important victory.”

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: to10.gr

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